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Major moved closer to his dad, but his hand found Brynn’s. It didn’t matter that they’d been fighting. Something was going on, and he wasn’t sure what it was. The reporter had said something about Gavin and Brynn. Which was ridiculous.
“There are pictures of Bria and Gavin Jacks on the web. They appear to support the rumors that have always circulated that they’ve been in a sexual relationship before. Did it start before she turned eighteen? How long has it been going on?” Jeannie asked.
Diane’s mouth hung open for a moment, and for the first time since he’d met the woman, she seemed to have absolutely nothing to say.
“We have no comment beyond the fact that there is absolutely no sexual relationship between Brynn and Gavin. He has always been like a father to her, and if you continue to spread rumors about her, we’ll have to get the lawyers involved and you’ll be the first one they’ll talk to.” He wasn’t about to let the reporter think she could get away with trashing Brynn’s reputation.
She let him lead her away, toward the parking lot, Dolly trotting between them. Diane walked behind her daughter, silent for once.
Gavin jogged up behind them, two drinks in his hand and Duke’s leash wrapped around his wrist. Duke was running beside him. “Hey, I thought we were meeting by the games.”
Diane grabbed the red solo cup and swallowed it down. “We’re leaving.”
“I’m not sure what’s going on, and for once I don’t think it’s about my dementia,” his dad said. “Why would they say Brynn’s seeing Gavin when she’s with Major?”
“What?” Gavin stopped, reaching for his phone.
Brynn dropped Major’s hand. She reached down and picked up Duke, taking his leash from Gavin and holding him close to her chest. “Don’t. Not now. We have to get back to the B and B and then we can figure out what’s happening. Please, take us out of here. They already have enough footage of us for one night.”
“I’ll take you.” He hated the blank look on her face. Something had gone wrong, and apparently it was all over the Internet.
She shook her head. “No. Take your father home. Or finish your evening. I’ll deal with this problem. Good night, Major.”
He stayed where he was, pulling on Dolly’s leash when she tried to run after Brynn and Duke. She didn’t want him to follow? She didn’t want him to help her through this?
“Son, I think she’s in trouble,” his father said.
She was definitely in trouble, and so was he.
chapter fifteen
Brynn’s hands were shaking as she looked at the tablet screen. She’d waited until she’d gotten back to the B and B to try to find the story the reporter had referenced. On the short drive from the fairgrounds to her cabin, she’d simply sat in Gavin’s rented SUV and held her dog.
Now she wished that drive had taken longer.
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen.” Her mother paced the living area of Brynn’s increasingly crowded cabin. “I thought she was saying someone had doctored photographs of the two of you. You’re sitting on a park bench talking.”
Oh, but they’d done more than talk that day. She knew exactly which day it had been. Someone had been watching them on the afternoon when Gavin had told her there was a place at the Sorbonne for her after they finished filming. She’d been emotional and grateful to have him around. They’d been very affectionate that day because it had felt natural to lean into him, to hug the man who’d been the father figure in her life.
“That’s not what it looks like, and you have to know that, Diane.” Gavin sat on the couch, a glass of Scotch in his hands. He’d taken one look at the photos and the headlines and gone straight for the small bar. “The angle he took that at makes it look like we’re kissing.”
Brynn’s stomach threatened to flip. Would her mother turn and accuse her now? She’d been shockingly calm up to this point.
Her mom stopped pacing and looked Gavin’s way. “Perhaps it does, but anyone with half a brain understands that it’s only the angle and how Brynn’s head is hidden by yours. It doesn’t tell the full story. The photographer is obviously hiding behind a tree. That has to count for something.”
Brynn needed to make a few things plain. “We didn’t kiss. I gave him a hug and he held me for a little while. I was emotional about a lot of things.”
Her mom shifted, coming to kneel close to Brynn, her hands pulling the tablet away. “Of course he did. He loves you, Brynn. You’ve been like a daughter to him, and I’ve been grateful for his presence in your life. I don’t want you to worry. This is nothing. This is some tabloid crap that no one will believe. I’m sure it hurts you, but you know the truth. There’s no reason at all for you not to hold your head high.”
